Apparatus for making ingots.



-L. E. HOWARD.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING INGOTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1913. 1, 9 5 2 Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

a sums-5mm 1 L. E. HOWARD. APPARATUS FOR MAKING meo'rs.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19,1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIBAI'H CO..\VASHIMTON, nc

L. E. HOW

APPARATUS FOR MA APPLICATION FILED ARD.

KING INGOTS.

NOV. 19,1913.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

QSHEETB-SHEET 3.

COLUMHkA PLANOGRAPH 00.,

WASHINGTON. n. c.

an STATES PATE LESLIE E. HOWARD, OF LOCKPOR'I, NEW. YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 SIMONDS MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CI-IUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR- MAKING INGOTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented liliar. 10, 1914,

Original application filed May 3, 1913, Serial No. 765,255. Divided and this application filed November 19, 1913. Serial No. 801,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE E. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Ingots, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of 1nanufacturing metal ingots, being designed chiefly for use in the manufacture of steel ingots.

In my Letters Patent No. 1,056,101, dated March 18, 1913, I have disclosed an ingot casting and compression machine wherein a two-part, separable ingot mold is located directly above and in vertical alinement with the compression die to receive the molten charge poured therein, and means are provided for opening the mold after the ingot has reached a state of partial solidification and lowering the partially cooled ingot therefrom directly into an underlying compression die. The apparatus of my present invention employs a compression die of the same character as that disclosed in my aforesaid patent, including similar means for lowering a partially cooled ingot into the die; but it is designed and adapted for the treatment of ingots which are poured into the ordinary solid or one-piece mold at a point out of line with the compression die and preferably adjacent to the latter, the mold and its contained partially cooled ingot being then bodily transferred to a position directly in line with the die, and the ingot thereupon transferred from the mold into the die. My present invention is differentiated from the apparatus of my aforesaid patent and the method of operation therein disclosed in that the pouring of the ingot into the mold takes place at a point out of direct line with the die, more or less remote from the latter, and the mold, with the contained partially cooled ingot, is then bodily shifted to a position in longitudinal alinement with the die so that the ingot may then be readily transferred by an endwise movement between the die-blocks to receive lateral pressure whereby to cure the defect known as piping.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated one practical form of apparatus in which the invention may be embodied andpractised, and referring thereto- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ap paratus, showing an ordinary tapered ingotmold, which may be assumed to contain a partially cooled ingot located adjacent to the upper end of the compression die, with the mold-stripping mechanism engaged therewith. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the mold and ingot transferred to a positioh directly above the compression die, and the ingot partially lowered into the latter. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 1, omitting the stripper and the motive fluid supply pipes and valves; Fig. 4: is a similar top plan view of Fig. 2; and Fig. is a sectional detail on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, I will first briefly describe the ingot press, which is a substantial duplicate of that shown in my Patent No. 1,056,101, equipped with a single pair of die-blocks, in lieu of the two shown in said patent.

5 designates each of a pair of parallel sideframe members of the press, 6 an interlocking end frame member, and 7 a cylinder casting constituting the other end frame member and formed with a pair of cylinder chambers 8 therein. The frame sections are strongly and rigidly united by interlocking joints 9 and 10 between the side and end members and by tie-rods 11. Slidably fitted within the cylinder chambers 8 are rams or plungers 12, the outer faces of which abut against a crosshead 13 that is supported on and between the side members 5 of the pressframe by means of flanges 14 on the cross-head resting on the upper edges of said frame members 5. The other face of the cross-head 13 in turn abuts against the back of the movable die-block 15 that co operates with a stationary die-block 16; both of said die-blocks being supported on and between the side members 5 of the pressframe by lateral flanges 17 and 18, respectively. The die-blocks 15 and 16 have formed in their opposite faces ll-shaped recesses 19 and 20, respectively, that unitedly form the substantially rectangular cavity of the die. The die member 15 is loosely connected to the cross-head 13 so as to be retracted. by the latter by a pair of links 21. Fluid pressure is supplied to and exhausted from the cylinder chambers 8 through aeored duct 22 in the casting 7 and the pipe 23 leading from a valve 24 through which latter the pipe 23 is alternately connected with a high-pressure supply pipe 25 and an exhaust pipe 26. The crosshead 13 is retracted by power mechanism comprising a cylinder 27 secured to the outer face of the end wall casting 7, a plunger 28 in said cylinder, a crosshead 29 on the outer end of said plunger, and pull-bars 30 connected at their outer ends to the ends of said cross-head and at their inner ends formed with hooks 31 en gaging grooves 32 formed in the opposite sides of the cross-head 13. A branch pressure fluid supply pipe 33 leads from the sup ply pipe 25 to the inner end of cylinder 27, whereby the cross-head 13 is normally maintained fully retracted and the compressing die open; the cross-section of the plunger 28 being so small relatively to the cross-sections of the rams 12 as to make it practically inexpedient to equip the cylinder 27 with fluid pressure controlling valves.

Secured to the end wall 6 of the pressframe is a bracket or shelf 34 that affords a support or rest for the ingot mold 35, herein shown as a mold of the ordinary solid tapered form resting at its wide end on a stool or block 2 that is removably secured on the shelf 34 by. key lugs 2 and 34 on the sides of the stool and shelf, respectively, and interposed wedgeshaped keys 3. The mold 35 has a pair of lateral trunnions 36 by which it is readily engaged by the stripper-links 37.

3-8 is the stripper-ram which operates in the usual manner to press the ingot down as the mold is raised by the stripper-links.

39 designates each of a pair of stop-lugs formed on the upper side of the die member 15 which aid in properly centering the mold above the die, as hereinafter described.

40 designates a pressure cylinder that is suspended from the pressframe by links 41 that are pivotally hung from the opposite sides 5 of the press-frame and engage trunnions 42 on the upper end of the cylinder 40. Within the cylinder 40 is a plunger-rod 43 carrying on its upper end a plate or block 44 adapted to engage the lower end of the ingot in the operation of lowering the latter intothe die, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Also connected to the trunnions 42 are a pair of approximately horizontal bars 45 that are connected at their other ends to a crosshead 46 fast on the outer end of the rod 47 of a piston 48 that operates in a cylinder 49 secured to the outer face of the end frame 7 below the cylinder 27. Fluid pressure is alternately admitted to and exhausted from opposite sides of the piston 48 through pipes 50and 51 and a two-way cook 52 controlling the communication of said pipes 50 and 51 with a low-pressure supply pipe 53 and exhaust pipe 54. Fluid pressure is admitted to and exhausted from the cylinder 40 through a flexible pipe or hose 55 and a coupling 56, the other end of the hose 55 communicating alternately with supply and exhaust pipes 53 and 57, respectively, through a controlling cock 58. Stops 59 on the side frames 5 limit the inward swing of the links 41 to a point at which the cylinder 40 is in substantial axial alinementwith the superjacent die.

The stripper herein indicated is of the ordinary crane type, and is operated by electric, hydraulic or other power.

In carrying out the manufacture of an ingot through the agency of the apparatus herein shown and described, the ingot mold 35, at the start, stands on the stool or block 2, which. of course, then forms the bottom closure for the mold, as shown in Fig. 1. The mold is then poured by any of the usual forms of pouring devices, and after the ingot has stood in the mold for a predetermined time, or until it has become sufficiently set to stand stripping, the stripper is then brought into the position shown in Fig. 1.

Instead, however, of stripping the ingot in the position in which it is cast, as is usual, the mold containing the ingot is lifted bodily a few inches, and the stripper carrying the mold and ingot is then adjusted by a lateral shift so as to bring the mold in appr ximately vertical alinement with the compression die, as shown in Fig. 2, in which operation the stop-lugs 39 assist in an obvious manner. Prior to or during this bodily transfer of the mold and ingot from the stool 2 to a position directly above the die, the valve 52 is operated to bring the cylinder 40 from the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 to the full line position shown in the same figure and in Fig. 1. and the valve 58 is then turned to elevate the plunger-stem 4-3 and block 44, so that the ingot practically rests at this point in the operation on the latter. The die-blocks being at this time opened or separated, the stripper is now brought into action; but instead of the strippingram 38 which rests on the top of the ingot simply coming down and holding the ingot from lifting, it pushes the ingot from the mold part way into the die, the ingot at this time resting on the plunger-head or block 44, and the stripper-links serving simply to keep the stripper from rising from the crane-ways while the plunger is thus pushing out the ingot. During this operation the valve 58 controlling the operation of cylinder 40 is placed at discharge position, so that after the ingot leaves the mold it is borne by block 44 and allowed to descend into the die at a speed depending on the amount of opening of valve 58. It is advisable to leave the mold in the position shown in Fig. 2 until the ingot has descended approximately one-half of the way into the die, so that the mold may afford a partial support to the ingot to keep it from tipping over. The stripper now picks the mold up and either places it back in the position shown in Fig. 1, or places it among other cooling molds, and picks up a new mold and places it upon the shelf or stool 34. As soon as the ingot has been fully lowered between the die-blocks, the valve 24 is operated to admit high pressure behind the rams 12, and the ingot then undergoes a graduated lateral compression in a manner and to secure the results set forth in my former Patents No. 922,587, dated May 25, 1909, and No. 926,489, dated June 29, 1909. During or after the operation of compressing the ingot, the valve 52 is turned to a position to shift the cylinder 40 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 out of line with the compression die, so that the ingot may then be dropped through into the soaking pit, or onto cars, or otherwise disposed of.

In the specification of my Patent N 0. 1,056,101, I have described quite fully the advantages resulting from effecting the casting and the lateral compression of an ingot in separate receptacles. The aforesaid patent discloses an apparatus for this purpose that is, to a considerable extent, of special design and construction. One object of my present invention has been to enable this'advantageous feature of separate casting and compression of an ingot to be carried out in a practicable and workable manner in plants using the standard one-v piece tapered molds and any standard form of crane stripper. This is accomplished by providing means whereby the ingot can be poured in suitable or convenient proximity to the compression die and then be readily transferred while in a partially cooled condition in the latter, to a position whence it may be readily transferred from the mold into the die.

I do not herein claim the novel method of operation herein disclosed, since that Gopies of this patent may be obtained for forms the subject-matter of a co-pending application filed by me on the third day of May, 1913, Serial No. 765,255.

I claim- 1. An apparatus for manufacturing ingots, comprising, in combination, a compression die for imparting lateral compression to an ingot, a mold support disposed in proximity to said compression die, a mold adapted to rest on said mold support to receive a pour of metal, means for bodily transferring said mold and its contained partially cooled ingot to a position in substantial axial alinement with said die, and means for transferring the partially cooled ingot from said mold into said die.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing ingots, comprising, in combination, a compression die for imparting lateral compression to an ingot, a mold-supporting platform disposed in proximity to the upper end of said compression die, a mold adapted to rest on said platform to receive a pour of metal, means for bodily shifting said mold and its contained partially cooled ingot to a position above and in substantial axial alinement with said die, means for stripping said mold from said ingot, and means for lowering said ingot into said die.

3. An apparatus for manufacturing ingots, comprising, in combination, a press frame, a compression die mounted therein for imparting lateral compression to an illgot, a mold-supporting platform secured to one side of said press frame adjacent to the upper end of said die, a mold adapted to rest on said platform to receive a pour of metal, an overhead crane and stripper serving to bodily shift said mold and its contained partially cooled ingot to a position above and in substantial axial alinement with said die, means for centering said mold above said die, and means for lowering said ingot into said die.

LESLIE E. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. SI-IAEFFER, W'ILLIAM G. CARTER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

